Educational Leadership Commons^™

Teacher Retention Policy Coherence: An Analysis Of Policies And Practices Across Federal, State, And Division Levels, Andrene Castro, Adria Hoffman, Jonathan D. Becker, David Naff, Peter S. Willis, Andy Kane

MERC Publications

As part of a larger MERC study, this report provides an overview of federal, state, and regional policies and practices relevant to teacher retention. Using key informant interviews and document analysis, the report addresses the following research questions: What teacher retention policies exist at the federal, state, and local levels? How are these policies structured at the state level and local levels? How do teacher retention policies vary across MERC divisions? Following the findings, the report presents recommendations for policy and practice.

Who Takes Dual Enrollment Classes? A Research Brief, David Naff

MERC Publications

This research brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) explores three questions: 1) What are Dual Enrollment classes? 2) Who takes Dual Enrollment classes? and 3) What strategies promote greater access to Dual Enrollment? An accompanying podcast episode is linked in the research brief.

Leadership Styles Of Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program Directors, Dawn Sunshine Brown

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education requires Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program directors to have the necessary academic and professional qualifications to lead their programs, but many directors lack awareness of their leadership styles. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive correlational study was to examine the leadership styles of current DPT program directors within the United States, analyze the relationship between DPT program directors’ self-perceptions of their leadership style and effectiveness, and understand a relationship between leadership styles with race and ethnicity.Methods: Data were collected using the 45-item Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X Short Leader Form developed by …

Elementary School Staff Perceptions Of Alice Active Shooter Training, Jennifer Tavine Craig

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory descriptive research study examined elementary school staff perceptions of ALICE active shooter response training and how participating in the training impacted staff perceptions of their own preparedness and their perceptions of their school’s level of safety. This study also examined elementary staff experiences of ALICE training. Participants answered a pre-survey, engaged in a half-day, scenario-based ALICE training, and then answered a post-survey. Results showed that participating in ALICE training had an overall positive impact on elementary staff perceptions of preparedness, confidence, and empowerment in regards to responding to an active shooter incident at their school. Elementary staff expressed …

Understanding The Challenges And Ways In Which High School Principals Lead For All, Alexia Adele Ellett

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the complexities of equity work in suburban high schools and the challenges in leading this work as a high school principal, and it is organized into three separate parts. Paper 1 is a review of the literature defining equity, examining equity of what, and delving into the many reasons why there is resistance to this work. All three of these topics are interrelated and help one to understand why creating schools that work for all students has become increasingly challenging work, and also, the most important work that we, as educators, must focus on to truly serve …

Through The Labyrinth: Lived Experiences Of Women And The Superintendency, Michelle Christine Graham

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Men continue to dominate the superintendency in the United States, even though more than half of the specialized degrees needed to be a superintendent are earned by women (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019; Warner & Corley, 2017). Nationwide, 26.7% of the superintendents are women, while 27.75% of the superintendents in Illinois are women (Heffernan & Wasonga, 2017; Tienken, 2021). This study examined the lived experiences of five women superintendents from Illinois regarding their access to the superintendency and what they perceived to be significant factors along their trajectories. Data for this study was collected through one-on-one interviews using Seidman’s …

Touchpoints: How Faculty And Advising Understand And Colloborate On Guided Pathways Reforms To Influence And Support Major Choice In A Community College, Bryant Bates Manning

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Guided pathways is a nationwide whole-college reform that aims to improve college completion rates and times for students, especially in the community college sector. This multisite case study sought to explore how pathways institutions supported students to better align with the right academic and career programs. Through individual semi-structured interviews, faculty members and advisors reflected on if and how they collaborated to better serve students in this capacity. Three themes emerged during data analysis and were reported in narrative form: a.) divergent faculty and advising attitudes about pathways reforms, b.) inconsistent perceptions on levels of collaboration, and c.) criticisms and …

A Principal's Plc: Supporting The Development Of Professional Learning Communities Through The Lens Of A School Leader, Allison Beth Stein

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Supportive principals are essential to the successful development of professional learning communities in schools, and student achievement is also significantly impacted by school leadership. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine principals’ actions, beliefs, and perspectives related to the development of professional learning communities in a suburban school district north of Chicago.Methods: Research participants included nine building principals from the target school district. Each principal was interviewed individually for approximately eighty minutes. An open coding method was used to flexibly identify common themes or concepts. Multiple coding cycles were used to further refine patterns and improve …

Investigating Boredom Within The Context Of Sixth-Grade Mathematics Classes, Tammy S. Judkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined how the perception of the achievement-emotion of boredom impacted the academic agency of sixth-grade mathematics students. The study for this dissertation was completed during the Covid 19 pandemic. Through an explanatory sequential mixed methods study, sixth-grade mathematics student volunteers from a Midwest middle school responded to survey items on achievement-emotions as well as shared their perspectives about their perception of boredom in three mathematics settings: classroom, studying and/or independent learning, and testing. Eleven of the 69 sixth-grade mathematic students participated in three rounds of data collection: the AEQ-M Survey, homogenous focus group discussions, and individual interviews. A …

We Made It. Now What? A Qualitative Case Study Exploring How The Transition Of Black Men To A Historically Black Community College Is Influenced By Orientation 101, Eric R. Agee Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A gap in achievement among Black men who pursue post-secondary education remains. Many Black men start their college education at community colleges, but little is known about their experiences at Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs). The purpose of this dissertation of practice was to gain insights into the influence of College 101, also labeled Orientation to College 101 (ORI 101), on the transition of Black men to an HBCC. I utilized a qualitative case study design. The main data source were 15 semi-structured interviews, which were supplemented with closed-ended student survey responses on the ORI 101 course evaluation and the …

Stories Of Teaching On A Conceal And Carry Stage: A Dramaturgical Narrative Inquiry, Christopher J. Miller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The story of a mass shooting occurring on the place of school seems to be a common one in contemporary American cultural narrative. One of the more controversial solutions offered within this narrative is allowing citizens to protect themselves through the practice of conceal and carry. The practice of legally allowing individuals to conceal and carry a firearm while at the place of school and in the place of class is at the cornerstone of this research inquiry.

This qualitative research study employs a dramaturgical narrative approach to explore the daily lives of full-time community college faculty members. In figuratively …

Evidence-Based Decision Making In Elementary Schools: A Case Study Of How Districts Make Decisions When Implementing Foreign Language Programs, Danielle Elizabeth Moran

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Learning another language is considered a key 21st century subject, something that all students should begin in elementary school. However, most school districts in Illinois do not offer students the opportunity to learn another language in elementary school. There are effective and high quality programs available to learn another language that are also mutually beneficial to English learners (ELs). District leaders in charge of planning curricular programs have choices about which programs are offered and are tasked with considering the many needs of the districts they serve. The purpose of this study was to learn about the decision making of …

How Principals Influence, Facilitate, And Support Instructional Coaching Programs, Nadine Y. Norris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, multicase study examined how principals perceived the role of instructional coaches and how they facilitated, influenced, and supported teachers’ professional learning through the instructional coaching program. Including the researcher as a participant, 16 participants from three suburban school districts—including district-level administrators, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers—engaged in semistructured interviews. This study was framed by Desimone’s core conceptual framework for professional development and Spillane’s distributed leadership model. Data analysis revealed principals viewed instructional coaches as their partners in instructional leadership and professional learning facilitators. Principals facilitated and influenced the instructional coaching program by empowering teachers, promoting collaboration, and establishing …

Formal Teacher Evaluation And Self-Determination Theory: The Role Of The Principal, Christine Trendel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores how early research in self-efficacy, teacher stress, and teacher job satisfaction directly relate to self-determination theory. Specifically, the role of the elementary school principal can directly impact teacher motivation when meeting teacher basic psychological needs outlined in self-determination theory; connectedness, competence and autonomy. Furthermore, principals can build teacher connectedness, competence and autonomy with interactions and feedback both inside and outside of the formal teacher evaluation process. When principals interact with teachers frequently, visit classrooms weekly, and provide specific and timely feedback, teachers experience higher levels of motivation through increased feelings of connectedness, competency, and autonomy.

Recognizing Capital: A Study Of Cultural Wealth, Grit, And Student Success, Jessica Lauritsen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The widening gap between the demographics of faculty and students in higher education is exemplified by the racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in student achievement outcomes. Expecting students to adapt to an unwritten set of rules to successfully navigate higher education is not the solution. Understanding the strengths of students is essential to validating their ability to be successful in college. This study will measure two-year college student recognition of their individual aspirational capital, navigational capital, and grit connected to their perceived academic success, as well as their perceptions of faculty understanding of and recognition of their skills and experiences.

A Quantitative Assessment And Comparison Of The Undergraduate Curriculum Prerequisite Structures For The Universities In The Minnesota State System With Particular Emphasis On Mathematics Courses, Erik Loge

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to study the consistency of the structures and the centrality of mathematics courses in the curricula of the universities in the Minnesota State University system. This research will be based on the curriculum prerequisite networks for the seven universities in the Minnesota State System. These networks will be constructed from the information in the course catalogs available on each university’s public website. The networks will be constructed with courses represented by nodes and weighted edges representing prerequisite relationships. The analysis will use curriculum network analytics to evaluate and compare the connectedness of the networks, …

Virtues And Values: A Transcendental Phenomenological Examination Of Professional Coach Trainers' Use Of Virtue Ethics As A Tool In Their Practice, Julianne Schwietz

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Society has grown out of touch with moral character and virtues. The effect of this disregard for virtue is a departure in the collective of our societal moral values. As individuals, without upholding virtuous ways of being, our character can regress and therefore prevent us from reaching our best potential as individuals participating in society. Professional coaches like this researcher are leaders who work with people in every sector of society who are motivated to reach their best potential. Coaches’ training programs hold coaches to high standards of ethical conduct in their practice (Iordanou et al., 2017; Whitworth et al., …

Fundamental Factors For Success: Engineering Faculty And Industry Partners, Molly F. Schaefer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Partnerships and collaborations between higher education and industry have a long history in the United States. Numerous partnerships have contributed to advancements in the economy, education and training, humanity, and innovation. The subject areas of science, engineering, and technology are fields in which many of the collaborations occur, and many of the partnerships are often initiated and led by a faculty and a member of industry. Yet, it remains unclear how academia and industry achieve successful partnerships when the goals, language, culture, and organizational structures significantly differ from one organization to another. This study examined whether partnerships among engineering faculty …

The Lived Experiences Of Black Male High School Students Diagnosed With Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders: A Qualitative Study On Self-Concept, James Menke

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how the lived experiences of four Black male high school students in a setting-four program diagnosed with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) impact their self-concept. Through a multi-case study method, participants engaged in two interviews responding to questions in reference to lived experiences and self-concept. Critical Race Theory tenets counter-storytelling and intersectionality were applied to further and more deeply analyze the content from the interviews. A cross-case analysis of four cases produced overarching themes: I was treated inhumanely; I benefit from invested staff who build individualized connections with me; …

Investigating Beliefs: White Female Teachers' Perceptions Of Black Boys And Their Subsequent Achievement-A Qualitative Study, Kirky L. Morris

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Black males continue to be the lowest-performing subgroup on state standardized tests in the United States of America. A very large majority of teachers are White females. This study examined the impact of White female teachers' beliefs and actions on the achievement of Black male students. Data was collected via interviews with White female teachers that teach in grades 3, 4, and 5 in a Midwestern urban city. Because I’m a Black male principal and the participants were White females, we were intentional about having a White female do the interviews so that the participants could answer questions about their …